"Due diligence" should be performed, not only prior to any major decision making, but throughout an entire lifetime of research, reassessment, and review of the study of choice. Otherwise, we may surely miss many an important discovery that will reveal itself without warning or lost forever due to inattentive neglect. History, like ocean bottom sedimentation, is remorseless in its accretion of invaluable and irrefutable evidence that creation and innovation are constant forces indeed.

As enticing as ongoing translations and "expert" opinions may appear, appropriate caution is advised, as history is replete with troublesome and unfortunate falsehoods that have resulted from such wholesale and naive acceptance of otherwise enticing "facts". No judgments intended, but we should all continue with our own "due diligence" whenever we encounter the additional conversations being offered, and to possible innuendos, specious theories and circular arguments that may and do arise. Again, perhaps we need to trust in our own individually crafted and supervised daily training, to provide the the constant stream of useful questions, answers, and understandings we all seek.

I love the Aikido Journal, and admire the editor Stan Pranin immeasurably. Again, much of the content are "stories", which remain largely unauthenticated, lacking accepted provenance, and absent the time consuming effort of legitimate scholastic scrutiny. We should enjoy these marvelous glimpses and recounting of the events and personalities of the past, without succumbing necessarily to the romance and idealism, and especially not without careful and thorough examination and honest scrutiny. Large tablets of salt suggested.

Mark, not only should serious students of Ueshiba Aiki do their requisite "due diligence" with the teachings, techniques and traditions of the Founder, but also to the similar contributions from all the great mentors and originators throughout navigable history. Further, we need to apply equally honest and intense scrutiny on our present teachers and historians, as well as to ourselves on a daily basis. After all, isn't the current crop of students, teachers and innovators the very source of future leaders and potential giants of Aiki?